remarkability

The more I think about and seek out good design, the more I find it (often in unexpected places). People (designers included) often miss out on opportunities to manifest good design; those who take those opportunities often win (by getting a contract, being highly regarded in their field, etc.).

It extends to projects and concepts you might not think of (until you see incredible design, or design in progress, as I did today).

While coming back from the football stadium (for my running class (being a second-semester senior at college is wonderful)), I came across two small palettes of bricks; one destroyed and one looking quite pristine.

The broken one (I imagine) looked like this originally:

Photo by whiteblot on Flickr
.

The second (intact) one, looked more like this, except in different colors (even nicer ones, I thin

Photo by e453753 on Flickr.

Underneath the more “designed” brick blocks was a cardboard sign which indicated the following:

- 40% Sunny Wheat
- 30% Red Flash
- 30% Gunmetal

Puzzled for a moment, I wondered what that meant. Then, as I looked closely at the constructed mini-wall, I realized that they were the colors and proportions of the bricks. It became instantly clear that a lot of thought went into the construction of the prototype wall; the balance of colors, homogenous mixing of bricks, and contrast levels throughout the wall.

That bricklayer wins.

Instead of taking the standard mix of bricks and throwing them together haphazardly in making a building, clear thought and design was taken, even before the actual construction. I guarantee this bricklayer’s buildings look great (much better than average).

In actuality, laying bricks is likely a small job for the person who did this (who is probably part of a large contracting company). Instead of treating it as a small (it is), unimportant (it isn’t) task, it was treated as an opportunity for design.

What opportunities for design are you passing up?

- Do you think about your shoelaces when getting dressed?
- Do you revise your essays for class, not just for errors, but to make improvements?
- Do you think about the color scheme in your apartment? In your logo? On your stationary?
- Do you think about the formatting of your error reports?
- Do you think about commenting your code in a readable fashion? A funny and humorous fashion?

Always room for improvement.

-III

Remarkability (a term shamelessly borrowed from marketing guru Seth Godin) is of paramount importance in marketing and business. What is remarkable? Simple; something worth making a remark about.

Of course, when make a remark about something to someone, we make a risk; people judge us based on our tastes (as much as we’d rather not admit that), and so we’re programmed only to recommend things that we think people will respect. We have significantly higher barriers for suggestion than for our own personal enjoyment.

So what’s remarkable and why should we care? Some examples from my recent travels to Nashville, Tennessee and nearby Franklin, Tennessee.

Excellent is not remarkable

Excellent is only a prerequisite for being remarkable. Excellent is expected. Examples:

• Run a car company? Every single unit shipped better work from day 1, and work perfectly for several years. Do you have a unique new feature, or design concept? That might be remarkable.
• Run a small brewery? Certainly the beers are some of the best I’ve tasted, yes? But did you provide an interesting history to the beers, and explain what they go with?
• Host a talk show? There are a lot of them. They (hopefully) all discuss interesting things. Do you have a unique structure, the most compelling interviews? What do you have that’s worth talking about?
• I had the fortune to visit a great restaurant in Franklin, which I feel is worth making a remark about: The Red Pony Restaurant. The food was incredible, the service great. Who cares, that narrows things down to several thousand restaurants across the country. But take a look at that website! Look at the unusual ambience; high urban design, incredible art, and a touch of class in the middle of a historic small town. Further, they do a great job of highlighting it.

Remarkable wins.

Interesting is not enough

Interesting does not necessarily win. Interesting doesn’t imply interest. Interesting doesn’t imply a sale. Interesting doesn’t imply remarkable. Now remarkable doesn’t make sales either, but it increases the number of people who are potential sales. That’s vital. Consider the following sign my friend and I passed whilst walking in downtown Franklin:

Pretty unusual, huh? Unfortunately, my friend didn’t happen to be looking in it’s direction as we passed. Had the content (Beef and Guinness, a real mens soup) been anything less than remarkable, he would have never found out about it (since I remarked about it). Further, neither of us would be likely to remember where it came from (McCreary’s Irish Pub) in case we ever return to Franklin.

Remarkable gives your product, your marketing, a chance.